The members of the Jury for the 1990 Prince of Asturias Award for Letters, Luis María Ansón, Rafael Conte Oroz, Carlos Fuentes, Miguel García Posada, Ricardo Gullón, José María Martínez Cachero, Gregorio Salvador and Antonio Vilanova, gathered in Oviedo on the 19th and 20th of April, 1990 under the presidency of Joaquín Calvo Sotelo and with Emilio Alarcos Llorach acting as secretary, have decided to grant this award to Arturo Uslar Pietri, creator of the modern historical novel in Spanish America, whose incessant and fruitful literary activity has greatly contributed to enlivening our common tongue, illuminating the imagination of the New World and enriching the cultural community of the Americas.